Premier League club 'reach agreement' with Chelsea in surprise transfer hijack

Romelu Lukaku’s future could be about to take an unexpected turn amid recent links with a return to Italy. Chelsea are ready to cash in on the Belgian, well aware that they are going to lose a huge amount of money on their £100million investment.

Lukaku’s return to Stamford Bridge simply didn’t work out, with the striker struggling to see eye-to-eye with former boss Thomas Tuchel and going on to complete two loan spells, one with Inter Milan and another with AS Roma. The target man has enjoyed his time in Italy and has usually found success there, leading to more Serie A interest in his services this summer.

Chelsea are looking for an outright sale this summer, hoping to land between £25illion and £30million as they look to cut their losses. Napoli were said to be the favourites to sign Lukaku, but they are waiting for the future of Victor Osimhen to be resolved before completing a deal.

There have been reports that Lukaku has already agreed to join Napoli, but there is a fresh turn, according to reports. With Napoli having to be patient, CalcioNapoli24, via SportWitness, report that Aston Villa have now reached a ‘complete agreement’ with Chelsea to sign Lukaku.

Villa are looking to replace Jhon Duran, who is outbound this summer, ahead of their Champions League season, and the report claims they have turned to Chelsea’s misfit Belgian. Whether that report proves true remains to be seen, but in the meantime, the striker is training alone as he waits for a move to get done.

Lukaku is said to be desperate to join Napoli and willing to wait and hold off other moves to secure his move to the South of Italy. But it’s unclear whether that would change if Aston Villa and the Champions League come calling.